Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

 PC
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. GameMAG
    Dec 13, 2023
    70
    Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is a great robot editor that allows all mech enthusiasts to create the fighting machine of their dreams, but a very down-to-earth game with short linear missions, boring environments and weak standard enemies.
  2. TheSixthAxis
    Aug 30, 2023
    70
    The long-awaited return of FromSoftware's mech-filled series, Armored Core 6 delivers on a lot of what fans will have been hoping and dreaming of. Building and customising mechs is engaging, missions are action-packed and it looks gorgeous, but it's undercut by swings in difficulty for boss fights and an all-too-familiar story.
  3. PCMag
    Aug 23, 2023
    70
    Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon delivers great mech action and superb customization options, albeit with some annoying difficulty spikes and relatively bland maps.
  5. Riot Pixels
    Jan 28, 2024
    65
    Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is able to charm with artistic solutions, beautiful mechs, gloomy atmosphere of corporate wars. But there are too many of annoying factors in the game.
  6. TechRadar Gaming
    Aug 23, 2023
    60
    Armored Core 6 offers slick and well-polished mech battling fundamentals, diluted by the inclusion of ill-fitting soulsborne mechanics that don’t compliment the mech pilot fantasy. Though there’s much to enjoy for fans of the series, newcomers will be met with a lopsided experience that doesn’t quite capture the full potential of the Armored Core series.
  7. VG247
    Aug 23, 2023
    60
    Armored Core 6 is the essence of a soft reboot. It has the unenviable task of drawing newcomers to a niche, sometimes overly challenging series without changing too much of what made fans like it to begin with. The result is a mixed experience that, while it has some shining moments of brilliance, feels a bit loose and never plays to its strengths.
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  1. 3DJuegos
    Aug 31, 2023
    Armored Core 6 goes way back into FromSoftware's roots to restore a franchise thought long lost, and it does it faithfully both feature-wise and mechanic-wise. Even certain fan-favorite weapons are back, too. As for newcomers to the series, we think they'll will be happy to discover a fun and fast paced combat that's also deep enough to keep them hooked on PvP and S-ranking PvE missions for long after they beat the campaign. Is it for everyone? Probably not. Is it for everyone who's feeling curious and/or nostalgic about it? Yeah, it definitely is. [Recommended]
  2. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Aug 23, 2023
    After the initial thrill of learning to control your machine and kitting it out with bolder weapons, and the bombast of the power fantasy, ultimately one pitiful casualty or sacrifice follows another. Perhaps the repetitive AC battles and the waste pile of deadly hardware you accumulate are designed to bring home a gut-wrenching nihilism. If not, Armored Core VI is a frequently brilliant action game that makes the most of its mechs, but also curiously at odds with itself and a little overstuffed.

Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best PC Game of 2023
13
#13 Most Discussed PC Game of 2023

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 353 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 273 out of 353
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 353
  3. Negative: 46 out of 353
  1. blaze_ironwood
    Aug 25, 2023
    2
    I hate the fact that I'm writing this review because for me AC6 could've become the title to save AAA gaming in 2023 along with BG3.I hate the fact that I'm writing this review because for me AC6 could've become the title to save AAA gaming in 2023 along with BG3. Unfortunately Baldur's Gate 3 remains a lone soldier and AC6 fell flat 10 miles before the gates of success.

    Now before I express what I disliked I'll say that there are still a few good things about the game. One of those good aspects is the fact that AC6 still looks like a videogame and not a photo realistic 6 hours movie with 20 minutes of gameplay unlike many other 3As. The destruction of the environment is on point and to be fair maybe on par with Hawken which is a good thing in my book. After all environmental destruction is a typical trait of mech games and ignoring it could've cost the game a lot. Missions are normally short and to the point. The game has a pretty ok customization menu and the mechs' designs are pretty neat. Voice acting fits the tone of the game and thank funk there was no trace of "do better" condescending Millennial writing.

    And this is where all the good stuff in AC6 ends, time for the mudwatter.

    As soon as I started fighting I felt that familiar Dark Souls clunk even though the game was pretty fast - paced and I don't really know how to describe that particular "clunk" but it was really off-putting and jarring to me as a person who dislikes souls-like games. There's an immensely huge power gap between the ordinary enemies and the bosses. Most of the fodder robots died in one hit while on the other hand the bosses tested your mechanical skills to the very limit. Moreover the flying enemies stand right above your head(that's when they're not running away from you and bombarding you with the whole US military power at once) and you need to stare at the sun for half of the duration of the fight. Weapons deal next to no damage to strong enemies and the only way to succeed in defeating them is get right up in their face and button mash the melee weapon which is absolutely stupid considering that this is a mech 3rd person shooter not Sekiro. The only way to "grind" for game currency is fighting 3 enemies that have the same rank as you do and after you defeat each of them once their bounty is halved, about 20K which is 8-10 times less than what you need for a single subpar component that, again...deals 0 damage to bosses. Feedback for controller is only for enemies, you get none from destroying silos, forests, trucks, shipping containers and it feels veeery underwhelming giving this game was arguably one of the most hyped titles this year and the one with the biggest studio behind it. Knocking down massive steel boxes felt like I was playing with cardboard honestly. Sound design which completely omitted the low spectrum surely didn't make interactions with props feel palpable either. And to top it all off - you don't have the option to save manually. Thank you Dark Souls for inspiring people to make games devoid of any fun! Is it even a proper game if you don't suffer through the entirety of its duration?

    There you have it. I'm gonna be 100% honest with you, this is not a joke - I enjoyed Hawken: Reborn more than AC6 and this says a lot. Thumbs down unfortunately.    … Full Review »
  2. Lively2774
    Aug 25, 2023
    10
    Everything it needed to be and more, Armored Core 6 is top tier mecha action
  3. skilly225
    Aug 26, 2023
    4
    It's a pretty great mech game with a high degree of difficulty, but if this didn't have fromsoft on the box you could easily imagine it beingIt's a pretty great mech game with a high degree of difficulty, but if this didn't have fromsoft on the box you could easily imagine it being a game from 2010.

    Also, the difficulty, while high, isn't fun. There is nothing interesting about the current gameplay loop and it kills all momentum the game struggles to gain.    … Full Review »
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